


Looking In the Wrong Direction

by STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Feelings Realization, Fluffy Ending, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Angst, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Bro, M/M, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Oblivious Tony Stark, Possibly Unrequited Love, Tony Being Tony, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 17:49:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14959238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: Tony meets the perfect girl but he can't get her to go out with him. When Tony tells his best friend, Loki offers him advice and assistance to try and win her. Yet, Tony can't help but notice that Loki's smiles are a little sad around the edges.





	Looking In the Wrong Direction

**Author's Note:**

> I've actually been debating what story to post for the last few days, I had three top contenders but, alas, the other two needed a second opinion and with none of my usual three friends around, I went with the one that had the less things to poke at, heh.
> 
> I hope you like the story :D

Tony was in love.

He’d met her on the college campus and she was beautiful, smart and funny. She didn’t take his shit, and had refused to go out with him when he’d asked. Pepper Potts was absolutely perfect... but she was rejecting all of Tony’s attempts to win her heart.

Tony had spent weeks hanging around her, offering her flowers, chocolate dipped strawberries (she was allergic, apparently) and promising to take her anywhere she wanted to go if only she said yes, but it was all to no avail.

Tony had been at a loss and had collapsed dramatically on his best friend’s couch, complaining about the state of things and how he was now destined to live a life of unrequited pining and loneliness because his perfect lady didn’t want him.

Tony knew he was exaggerating slightly. He also knew he’d only known Pepper for a month, but there was something about her... Tony had never been so hooked on someone from the first moment; and maybe it had something to do with her rejecting him, unattainable object and all of that, but she honestly was a brilliant woman. There was a definite potential for more there, Tony knew it - and Loki knew it too.

His friend had sat on the coffee table, listening to Tony talk about her with a small frown but nothing else crossing his face or disrupting his expression. Loki had made soft enquiries at the right places and analysed Tony with his sharp green eyes. When Tony had finished his most recent description of Pepper’s beauty, Loki had used the silence to say, “You’re coming on too strong, Tony. You need to be more subtle.”

Tony had removed his arm from where it had been covering his eyes to peer at his friend. “You think?”

Loki’s smile had been small and wry. “Not everyone likes bold declarations of interest. She needs to learn to see past your... _eccentricities_.”

Tony scowled at Loki. “You insulting me, Loki? Here; in my hour of heartbreak and need?”

His friend rolled his eyes. “I am offering to _help_ you, Tony. I believe weathering my insults is a small price to pay for winning a date with Pepper.”

Tony was sitting up in an instant, looking at his friend with wide, hopeful eyes. “You mean it?”

Loki’s smile was surprisingly gentle. “Yes, Tony. It looks like she can make you happy.” He shrugged. “It’s the least I can do.”

Tony couldn’t stop himself from jumping up and throwing his arms around his friend in a hug. Loki let out a soft ‘ _oomph_ ’ but it still took him less than a second to hug Tony back.

“You’re the best,” Tony told him firmly.

Loki let out a soft laugh. “Was that ever in question?”

Normally, Tony would have whacked his friend for an answer like that, but with Loki ready to help him win Pepper, he decided to let it slide and instead squeezed his friend tighter for a few moments more. 

Tony then pulled back and grinned widely. “How do you want to start?”

Letting his arms slip from around Tony’s waist, Loki questioned, “You mentioned being willing to take her anywhere she wants to go, but what does she like to do for fun?”

Tony blinked. “Erm.” His brow furrowed. “I’m... not sure?”

Loki made a small noise of disgust. “That’s pathetic, Tony.” He shook his head. “Next time you see her, start a conversation and ask her what she likes and discuss it with her.” He narrowed his eyes. “But _don’t_ ask her out then. You’re going to find somewhere you can both go and then suggest it to her, even offer to take her there platonically. She knows you’re interested in her already but this will show you’re interested in more than just sleeping with her.”

“... Huh.” Tony remarked. “That makes sense.” He gave Loki a sheepish grin. “Maybe you were right when you accused me of having absolutely no skills when it comes to emotion.”

Loki’s smile was hard to quantify. “It becomes an endearing quality, _eventually_.”

It just made Tony grin as he tried not to bounce on the spot as new energy and confidence filled him. He also grabbed his friend’s arm, starting to drag him out of the room. “Come on, come on. Let’s go find Pepper, you can watch and tell me how I do and what needs to be done better.” He looked over his shoulder, giving Loki a blinding smile. “But with your tips, I’m sure I’ll be awesome.”

“I’m sure you will,” Loki told him, that same unreadable smile on his face. “I doubt she’ll be able to resist.”

The comment only made Tony feel more excited as he dragged his friend out of Loki’s dorm and towards the parts of the campus that Pepper normally frequented.

* * *

Unfortunately, things did not go as smoothly as Tony had hoped.

Tony had followed Loki’s instructions, having an hour long discussion about subjects Pepper enjoyed--and making her smile at him more warmly--but when he came back the next day with an offer to take her to a symphony either as a date or a platonic outing, she had hesitated but still told him no.

Loki had told him not to be discouraged but to instead note the ways she’d hesitated and conversed with him rather than outright brushing him off. It continued that way for the better part of a week, but where Pepper was slowly starting to like Tony more, she still wasn’t accepting any of his offers for a date.

It had Tony back where he’d started, on the couch in Loki’s dorms; he was sitting this time and with Loki beside him, a collection of textbooks from Loki’s courses on the table as he’d interrupted his friend mid study session.

“This is hopeless,” Tony had told Loki after flopping down beside him, feeling frustrated and upset in equal measure. “Nothing’s working! She likes me a bit more, but she’s still not going to go out with me!”

He dropped his head back on the cushions and groaned. Loki just turned to face him fully, telling him gently, “You have to be patient, Tony.”

“But everything we’re doing means she’s more likely to see me as a _friend_ rather than anything else.” He let out a rough breath and tilted his head back further to look at the ceiling. “Fuck, maybe I should just quit while I’m ahead, maybe I should-”

“You can’t just give up, Tony,” Loki told him, his voice low and firm. It was the most serious Tony had ever heard him be on the subject and it made him look at the other man. Loki’s expression was unyielding and his eyes were locked on Tony’s. “You have a chance with her, it’s obvious she’s starting to like you, but she’s unsure of how much. So don’t resign yourself to not having her unless there’s no other option.”

A part of Tony wanted to latch onto the ‘ _she’s starting to like you_ ’ part but there was something in Loki’s tone and eyes as he spoke that caught at Tony's mind. It was something... _personal_ , something _painful_ and it made Tony reach out and softly touch his friend’s arm. “Did that happen to you?”

Loki went tense, his face closing off but Tony didn’t back down, keeping his hand on Loki as he watched his friend with compassionate eyes. 

It still looked like Loki wouldn’t say anything, but his eyes eventually fell to stare at his lap and he quietly admitted, “The likelihood of reciprocal interest gets halved when you’re gay, Tony. I know what it’s like; I don’t want you to suffer through it.”

Tony’s heart ached for his friend. “I’m sorry, Loki.”

Loki’s mouth twitched, but whether it was meant to be a smile or a grimace, Tony couldn’t tell. “It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past. So let’s focus on Pepper.”

While Tony knew he was terrible at emotions and working out what to do when it came to anything resembling romance, Tony wasn’t so oblivious that he couldn’t see the lie in his friend’s words. Whoever Loki couldn’t have, it wasn’t past tense in the slightest; Loki still loved them, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it and so he had taken to ignoring it.

Tony wished he could do something to help, to give his friend the support and assistance Loki was offering him with Pepper, but Tony was as useless as a wet sack when it came to this sort of thing, so he did the only thing he could; he helped Loki ignore it.

“What do you think I should do the next time I see her?” Tony asked, and Loki all but dived into answering it.

* * *

After his conversation with Loki, Tony threw himself back into things with renewed vigour and while it was partly to gain his coveted date with Pepper, there was another part of him that wanted to do it for Loki.

His friend was good at hiding it, but there was pain still lingering over losing the one that he wanted. It made Tony feel that, in some small way, Loki might be healing his own heartbreak by having Tony succeed where he failed.

Tony didn’t know if it was his doubled enthusiasm, Loki’s advice or Pepper just being whittled down over time, but when he asked her out again, over a month since Loki had started helping him, she said yes.

Tony had actually taken a few moments to even realise that she’d agreed and when he did, Tony had given her a double-take. She had laughed and lightly squeezed his hand, her smile small but fond as she repeated her agreement. Tony had been thrilled and after arranging the time he’d all but sprinted across the campus to tell Loki.

He’d thrown himself at his friend in a tight hug, rambling about how amazing and awesome and brilliant he was and Tony hadn’t even got to the ‘ _she said yes_ ’ part when Loki had worked it out. He’d smiled and congratulated Tony. He'd sounded genuinely happy for Tony, but it was only because Tony knew it was there that he saw the hint of sadness in his eyes. The hint of ‘ _I wish that was me_ ’ that dimmed some of Tony’s enthusiasm, knowing that while he’d gained his coveted date, Loki was still unable to gain his.

Tony’s smile had started to drop, but Loki had made sure to stop Tony in his tracks.

“You have your date, Tony, be happy.”

“I know, but you-” Tony had tried to protest, but Loki just shook his head.

“You had a chance, I didn’t," Loki insisted. "And I’m glad that things have worked out for you.” Tony knew he meant every word, but he could also see the way a quick check of his phone was a means of getting away. “I have a paper to send off.” He gave Tony a small smile, showing there were no hard feelings. “But let me know how the date goes. I’m taking at least seventy percent of the credit for the two of you becoming a couple.”

Tony grinned but it felt a little flat. “I’d bump it up to ninety, myself.”

Smiling faintly, Loki didn’t bother to say anything more. He merely wished him good luck on his date tomorrow and left to hand in a paper that Tony was fairly certain didn’t exist. Tony watched him leave with a sad, wistful expression, wishing he could do something to help Loki and wipe away his misery.

Loki had done so much for him with Pepper; if only he could do the same with Loki and his mystery guy.

* * *

The next evening when Tony was on his date with Pepper; his longed for, perfect, wonderful date with his ideal woman... he found himself distracted.

Or rather, he found himself unable to stop thinking about _Loki_.

He’d spent the build up to the date with his friend on his mind. Loki was the most funny, charming, witty, sarcastic, _brilliant_ person Tony had ever met; how could some guy not see how awesome he was? Loki was also handsome as hell with aristocratic features and a smirk that could knock out a guy’s knees.

In fact, Tony spent so long thinking about all the amazing qualities Loki had that when he was sitting down to dinner with Pepper he found her kind of... lacking. She was still wonderful, smart, beautiful and entertaining; but with Loki, the two of them had clicked from moment one. Tony had been himself from the start and Loki had kept coming back for more whereas with Pepper it had taken time and advice and altering himself to fit something that was close but not quite _him_.

He couldn’t be sarcastic or caustic with her because he wasn’t sure how she’d take it or if she’d be offended. He couldn’t talk about his engineering projects with her because he knew she wouldn’t get it. Loki didn’t either, not some of the technical parts, but he understood Tony and what he wanted and how he ticked.

And maybe Pepper would get there eventually, maybe they could line up with time and the chance to get to know one another, but as Tony sat there talking with her, Tony realised, they’d never line up as well as him and Loki.

And that was a hell of a realisation for Tony to have while on a date with someone Loki had spent over a month trying to help him win. 

It didn’t change the truth of it though and it left Tony going through the date in something of a daze. 

When he dropped her off at her dorm, she didn’t try to kiss him and he didn’t try to kiss her. They said goodnight to one another before Tony turned on his heel and made his way directly to Loki’s dorm. The other man was awake when he arrived and greeted him with surprise as he let Tony in. “Tony. I didn’t think I’d see you. How was your date?” Loki frowned slightly. “Did something go wrong?”

“You could... say that,” Tony murmured, looking at his friend who had done everything he could to help Tony only for it to all be for nothing.

“What happened?” Loki asked with a deepening frown. 

“I... worked out she wasn’t... who I wanted,” Tony answered slowly, his mind slamming up against a sudden, unshakeable conclusion.

He didn’t even notice Loki move, not until a hand was on his shoulder and squeezing softly. Loki looked nothing but sympathetic and unhappy for him. “I’m sorry, Tony.”

Loki was standing so close. It wasn’t even the closest they’d ever been, but Tony could smell his friend’s cologne, he could feel his heart racing and his stomach twisting. He could suddenly, abruptly look at his friend and see someone he’d never realised he’d half-loved for the better part of three years.

And Tony already had a bad track record for rash and stupid decisions.

He didn’t think about the fact that Loki had feelings for someone he couldn’t have. He didn’t think about how this could utterly screw up their friendship. Tony only thought about how much he wanted to kiss Loki in that moment, and before he knew what he was doing, Tony was tilting his head and leaning up until he could slot his mouth against Loki’s.

Tony had one moment to enjoy it, to know ‘ _this is what I want_ ’ before guilt and realisation slammed into him. He was a split second from pulling away and apologising, but before he could, a hand was fisting in his shirt and Tony was all but yanked closer to Loki. An almost trembling hand came and cupped the back of Tony’s neck and when he was kissed back there was need and desperation; a longing that was barely repressed but still knocked the wind out of Tony.

He pulled back with a small gasp, his eyes flying open as he looked at Loki. His friend’s breathing was coming out rough and shaky, his eyes wide pools of agonised want. 

“I was the one you loved,” Tony whispered, suddenly realising. It made Loki swallow, but he neither looked away nor denied it. Tony just brought up a hand, stroking Loki’s cheek and making his friend’s eyes fall closed. “Oh, Loki.”

He followed his words with another kiss, cupping Loki’s cheek and drawing him back into a soft, sweet kiss. Loki just made a quiet, whimpering sound before all but dragging Tony against him. He kissed Tony like a starving man, his kisses ranging from deep to soft to chaste to long. It was a whirlwind of emotion and Tony couldn’t have said how long they spent standing there trading kisses and stroking skin, but when they finally broke apart for more than a few seconds, it was to rest their foreheads together as their breathing slowly evened out.

Loki was the first to move them; he didn’t look at Tony but he caught his friend’s wrist, pulling him backwards and towards the couch. He paused just before it, glancing at Tony before softly requesting, “You’ve... you’ve laid with me before... would you-” 

“Yeah,” Tony agreed and he watched Loki’s breath leave him with relief.

It took only a few moments for them to arrange in a position they’d taken in the past, usually when they were drunk or exhausted, but this was the first time that consciously, Tony sprawled himself on top of Loki, using his chest as a pillow and feeling Loki’s arm come around him to keep Tony close.

Nuzzling his face slightly against Loki’s chest, he quietly asked, “Why did you resign yourself to not having me?”

He felt Loki’s breath hitch before Loki made a point of smoothing it out. “You had no interest in me and you were too important to keep as a friend.” He felt Loki’s hand twitch against him. “I did my best to help you with Pepper, Tony. I wanted you happy I-”

“No, I know,” Tony told him. He also brought his arms to slip under Loki’s waist in a hug. “I didn’t know it was me.” He closed his eyes. “Fuck, helping me must have hurt. I’m sorry that I didn’t-”

The back of Loki’s fingers stroked his cheek and startled Tony into stopping and looking up at Loki. He was staring down at Tony with soft green eyes and a sad little smile. “You were happy and that was enough. I’d accepted long ago that you wouldn’t choose me.” Uncertainty and faint panic suddenly crossed his face and his fingers stopped moving. “You... you are choosing me, aren’t you? You meant I was who you wanted, didn’t you?”

Tony instantly nodded. He also shifted, placing his hands on the couch so that he could push up and sooth Loki with a soft kiss that the other man instantly melted into. When they broke apart, Tony stayed hovering above him, he also gently confirmed, “Yeah. I worked it out,” he gave an awkward laugh, “while _on a date with Pepper_.” Tony gave Loki a sheepish smile, seeing Loki quirk an amused smirk back. “All I could think about was you.” He kissed Loki again, just because he could and smiled when he felt Loki tentatively bring his hands to cup Tony’s waist. “All I could think about was how I liked you way more than her, and how I wanted to be on that date with you.”

Loki let out a rough breath before, a moment later, Loki’s arms were wrapping around Tony in a hug, he was then being tugged down until he was lying on Loki again. He quickly brought his own arms around Loki as the other man hugged him so fiercely that he felt as if Loki might never let him go. Tony didn’t even mind, he just curled his face into Loki’s neck and let himself be held.

“I tried so hard not to let you know,” Loki whispered. “I thought you’d never...” he gave a harsh chuckle. “But maybe I should not have resigned myself so soon.” Tony felt a soft kiss get brushed to the top of his head. “Maybe I should have been a little more hopeful.”

Tony smiled. “Or maybe you should have hit me upside the head.” Tony shifted just enough to be able to catch Loki’s gaze. “You know I’m terrible at emotional things.” Loki grinned at him, looking so incredibly... happy. It was as if a sun was burning inside him, pouring warmth and delight out of him and making Tony’s heart skip a beat. It had him blurting, before he could think, “Go out with me.”

Loki blinked, startled by the sudden declaration and it made Tony flush and duck his head slightly. “I mean, um,” he hurried to use some of the advice Loki had given him, “I was wondering if you would-”

But long fingers covering his lips stopped him. Tony looked up and saw Loki grinning. “ _Some_ people don’t like bold declarations of interest, but I do.” His fingers moved to stroke around Tony’s goatee and up over his cheek. “I would love to go out with you.”

Tony felt excitement rush through him until he felt giddy and he couldn’t resist a quick kiss to Loki’s lips before he pulled back just enough to start rambling, “This is going to be awesome. Dinner and the arcade? You can kick my ass at half of the games and I’ll absolutely love it and then we’ll get coffee and debate Game of Thrones versus Harry Potter, and you’re still wrong by the way, and then we’ll come back here and end up just like this and-”

“And let’s leave _some_ things unplanned, Tony,” Loki told him, his eyes dancing with amusement. “But yes, it sounds perfect.”

And it did, more than any of his suggested dates with Pepper, more than the one he’d actually managed. It felt natural, right, _meant to be_ with Loki, and Tony could only grin brightly and kiss the other man again.

Because while Tony might be absolutely terrible with emotional situations and romantic cues, he didn’t have to look too hard to realise that this right here with Loki was exactly where he wanted to be.


End file.
